# Homeland (2011)

> A brilliant but bipolar CIA officer and her mentor chase terrorist threats while her own instability puts everything at risk.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1323

## Facts

- Seasons: 8
- Episodes: 96
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, thriller, crime
- Created by: Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon
- Network: Showtime
- Cast: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend, Morena Baccarin, Nazanin Boniadi, David Harewood, Maury Sterling
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1796960/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, paranoid, intense, morally ambiguous

## What critics say

Critics broadly acclaim Homeland's tense espionage plotting and Claire Danes's performance, though many find its quality dipping in later seasons.

## Synopsis

Homeland (2011-2020) is a US Showtime political thriller series created by Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon. Claire Danes plays CIA officer Carrie Mathison, a brilliant analyst who is bipolar and whose volatility makes her both gifted and dangerous. Mandy Patinkin plays her long-time mentor Saul Berenson, who keeps shielding her as she pursues suspicions about a returned prisoner of war, Nicholas Brody, played by Damian Lewis. Rupert Friend as Peter Quinn adds another layer to the operations. The engine of the show is Carrie's relentless pursuit of terror threats, each season built from surveillance, covert meetings, interrogations and political maneuvering that threaten her career and her sanity. Across eight seasons it stays one continuing serialized story rather than a case of the week, with plot turns that keep recontextualizing loyalties. Set in the post 9/11 United States and the wider war on terror, the series moves through Washington corridors, safehouses and overseas postings with a tense, paranoid atmosphere. Its tone is intense and morally ambiguous, a prestige cable drama that examines patriotism, mental illness and the costs of institutional power. Fans of 24, House of Cards and The Americans will find resonance in its espionage and political intrigue.

## Shows like Homeland

- [24 (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/1865)
- [Hanna (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/48556)
- [Mr. Robot (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55614)
- [Quantico (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55815)
- [Berlin Station (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/58467)
- [Treason (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/119265)
- [The Americans (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/42159)
- [The Night Manager (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/55098)
- [Spooks (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/3847)
- [Bodyguard (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/68902)

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